Strength of Friendship
by Lucky-9-Rose
Summary: No summary available.
1. Subspace Appears

I don't recommend reading this story. It's full of grammar mistakes and the writing itself isn't very good (being a first timer attempt.) :( If you want to read something better, my current submissions are more reliable.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to SSBB.

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Chapter One- Subspace Appears

It was six months since the opening of Super Smash Brothers Brawl. It began as an ordinary day. Life had been normal at the Smash Mansion until the afternoon brawls.

Fans were screaming in excitement as the first match began. Mario stepped out on the stadium, Kirby soon following behind. The Master Hand announced the match to begin. As they fought back with determination, he watched them closely on the surveillance camera. They had all changed so much, as easily noticed in their fighting skills. Improvements had been dramatic, even for Jigglypuff, though she still loses most of the brawls.

The Master Hand sensed an impending danger; one that involved all the Smashers. They grew together as a family, learning to trust each other and accept the diversity among the different universes. So many months ago, the Master Hand would not have believed such a phenomenal change possible with so many people.

The match lasted ten minutes, but Kirby won using his rock attack. Mario had been off guard completely for the attack at such a high damage.

They shook hands after. Everyone had been cheering, the fans shrieking with exhilaration when shadow bugs started to appear. The Battleship Halberd flew over the Mid-air stadium as more shadow bugs floated down to the grounds.

"What are those things?" Marth said.

"I have no idea," Ike replied. "Perhaps we should inform the Master Hand?"

"He's watching everything that's going on. Why isn't he showing up?" Jigglypuff asked. "He would do something about this."

"We can't always rely on him," Ike said. "We're Smashers. We need to look after ourselves as well."

"What you're saying is, we're gonna fight those things?" Jigglypuff said, mouth open in shock.

"Exactly," came a voice from behind her. "Ike is correct. Should we team up together, nothing is impossible."

"Meta Knight…" she whispered.

The shadow bugs formed into an army of Primids. The Smashers worked together to defeat them. Everyone was left with worry after. What were those things that appeared after the match? The skies were still dark above. The enemies kept regenerating one after the other.

"We must tell the Master Hand what is happening. He needs to know of this," Meta Knight said. The others agreed with him.

"Go to your rooms and stay there. Do not leave until I've found out what's going on." He went to his office to set up security around the Mansion after hearing what everyone had to say. There was an announcement a few minutes later. "Due to the strange appearance of monsters this afternoon, the next brawls will be cancelled. No one must leave the Smash Mansion unless told otherwise."

No one went to the bedrooms that night. They decided it would be safer if they stayed together downstairs in the living room. They knew they wouldn't get any sleep. When they all took a seat on the couches in the living room, they noticed six were missing. Ganondorf, Wario, Bowser, Dedede, Wolf and Mr. Game and Watch were no where to be found. The only noise that could be heard was whispers of reassurance to one another.

Jigglypuff was frightened by the danger threatening to destroy the peaceful life she loved. Beside her was her friend, Meta Knight. He was one of the Smashers that were silent. Jigglypuff could tell he was concerned about the evil soon to come. Some of his emotions she could read by his posture.

The morning was rainy and dreary. On top of that, every Smasher didn't get more than two hours of sleep the previous night. Kirby and his friends, Ness and Yoshi tried to lighten the mood by throwing a party. They even brought party balls from the item storage. It worked a little. Jigglypuff and Meta Knight didn't join in, but sat down alone together. Jigglypuff was reading a newspaper. She was reading her favourite part of the articles: the romance section.

A strike of lightning caused the power to go out. Jigglypuff, the Ice Climbers, Lucas, Peach and Kirby screamed out of fright.

Snake came out from his cardboard box, wondering why the Smashers were in a panic. "What's going on?" He asked, slightly irritated. Right after he spoke, thunder erupted from the sky, causing the scene to become more chaotic.

Jigglypuff dropped her newspaper, eyes microscopic and clung onto Meta Knight's cape, who didn't seem to notice.

Luigi looked out the window. "Mamma Mia!" he screamed. Meta Knight looked out the window too with Jigglypuff still attached to his cape. His eyes widened at what he saw. The sky was covered in thick purple and black clouds. Shadow Bugs fell from the sky like rain and formed into Primids. After they had been defeated, the Smashers noticed that a Subspace bomb had been activated.

"We have no other choice but to evacuate the area. We cannot stay here for much longer," Meta Knight told everyone, who reluctantly agreed with him.

Meanwhile, the Master Hand was having problems of his own up in his office. He was unexpectedly confronted by Ganondorf, Wolf, Dedede, Bowser and Wario. They had a score to settle with the Master Hand. Nothing would stop them from being evil. The Master Hand restricted them for far too long.

The Smashers were among the fields. Fortunately, there were no clouds above them, but it did nothing to cheer up any of the Smashers. No one was in cheerful spirits. Jigglypuff could only think about what they lost and that it may be gone forever. She sighed sadly.

"Jigglypuff, it's going to be all right." Meta Knight told her, seeing that she was clearly upset.

Jigglypuff was utterly shocked by how unaffected he seemed. It seemed as though he was the only one of the group who did not show emotion. She suddenly felt annoyed and angry. "It's not going to be all right! Do you realize how much we lost? How can you be so…emotionless at a time like this?" She gasped at her sudden outburst. He was only trying to cheer her up and all she did was get angry. "I'm so sorry! I shouldn't have said any of those things!"

"Apology accepted." However, Jigglypuff thought she heard sadness in Meta Knight's tone. She stayed closer to him anyway. With him around, she felt somewhat safer. She faintly heard a voice shouting at her to watch out. Jigglypuff turned to see a Floow behind her. She quickly got out of the way as Meta Knight defeated it.

"T-Thanks," she said, still scared from her close call. Now she felt a tad guilty. She had been rude earlier and Meta Knight had saved her without a second thought. She wished she could be more like him.

The traveling resumed until sunset. That night, the Smashers found a clearing surrounded by forest. Red summoned Charizard to create a bonfire. Most of the Smashers fell asleep from exhaustion. The bonfire helped relax them. Not everyone was fortunate.

Jigglypuff kept tossing and turning for an hour before giving up trying to sleep. She sat down by the bonfire trying to calm herself down.

"Are you having trouble sleeping?"

Jigglypuff turned around to face Meta Knight, who was obviously concerned. She was starting to reconsider her opinion of that Meta Knight didn't show any emotion. "Yes."

"I couldn't sleep either."

Jigglypuff smiled. Maybe they weren't so different after all.

"Something is on your mind," he said to her.

She wanted to ask him how he could tell, but decided against it. She knew she would be better off telling the truth. Keeping everything secret wouldn't resolve anything. "It's about what happened in the fields earlier when the Floow nearly attacked me. I had just stood back and didn't help fight. I'm…tired of being weak and defenseless."

"Whoever said you were?" He said, thoroughly shocked.

"I did. It's not that I don't appreciate what I'm able to do. It's just that, I need to be stronger. And, I was wondering, could you…teach me how to use a sword?"

It was apparent that Meta Knight was shocked further. "What ever gave you that idea?" He asked her, eyes widening.

"I want to be strong like you, that's why. I want to fight by your side and help destroy Subspace. The way of life depends of it. If I need to be stronger to make the planets peaceful places to live in, I will do so."

Meta Knight was silent for a moment as if to think about her response. She meant what she said. If he could help her in any way, he would. "Are you sure about this?"

"I'm certain," Jigglypuff said confidently.

"Very well. The training may be hard at first, but be strong and endure. You will do well."

"I vow I will do my best," she told him.

The next morning, the Smashers realized they had to find food now that they were in the wilderness. Some were horrified at finding their own food, some understood it had to be done. They divided into pairs or groups of three.

Jigglypuff and Meta Knight found a berry patch and found food there. During the picking, they talked about the training.

"When can we start the training?" She asked him.

"We can begin after breakfast."

"What will I be learning?" She questioned further.

"In order to learn how to use a sword, you must first learn the basics. That will be your first lesson."

"I'm only learning the basics?" Jigglypuff asked, confused.

"If you hope to learn the advanced skills, the basics must be learned. As easy as they may seem, they can be more difficult than they look. Don't assume everything will be easy." Meta Knight explained.

Jigglypuff was more confident about the first lesson by the time she returned to the camp. Meta Knight stayed behind to prepare the training area. He hoped no one besides Jigglypuff knew he was not with them.

Jigglypuff finished her breakfast and went to see how Meta Knight was doing. As she progressed through the forest, she became mesmerized by the scenery. She wasn't watching where she was going and ended up walking into someone. She soon realized who it was and felt ashamed. "I'm so sorry Meta Knight! I should have-"

"Follow me," he said.

She followed him to a small clearing surrounded by so many trees that not much sunlight could make it through. Despite that, it was a great place to train.

"Jigglypuff," Meta Knight said to her, bringing her back to reality.

She glanced towards him, realizing she hadn't been paying attention. "Sorry about that."

"It's all right," he assured her, giving her a sword.

Jigglypuff was trying to find a comfortable way to hold the sharp weapon. She never held such a blade before. She finally did it and was pleased. It was a start anyway. "I'm ready," she said to him.

The training was hard at first. Jigglypuff had trouble swinging the sword the first few times. She tried again, this time, she did a three swings in a row. "I did it!" She exclaimed, pleased that she was learning.

"You did great." Meta Knight told her, impressed at her performance. He allowed her to gave a short break while he took a moment to think about Jigglypuff's progress and was proud. She was doing well so far.

"I'm ready for more training." Jigglypuff told Meta Knight a few minutes later. The next lesson was smash attacks.

"Focus your strength while holding your sword in a striking position. When fully charged, you release the blow. That is called the Smash Attack. You may begin now."

Jigglypuff spent the next few minutes trying. She remembered it was like a regular Smash Attack, only with a sword. With that in mind, she tried again. Jigglypuff succeeded.

"You did excellent today." Meta Knight told her. "That will all the training for this morning. You are dismissed."

"Thank you for everything," she said before she left the training area. She was flattered by the praise she received and couldn't wait until the next time she could train.

Meta Knight nodded, acknowledging that he heard her. Jigglypuff could have sworn she saw his eyes change colour as he left for the camp.

At noon, Kirby was cooking the fish that was caught in the morning. When Jigglypuff finished her share, she noticed that Meta Knight was by himself. Although she was used to that, Jigglypuff actually felt sorry for him. She decided to take action. She stood up and sat down beside him.

Meta Knight looked up, surprised. "Is something wrong Jigglypuff? You seem lonely."

"I could ask you that same question." Jigglypuff replied.

"Being alone does not bother me, but I do appreciate your company," he told her.

"Thanks," she said. It made her feel better that her company was valued. She looked into his eyes. "Could I continue the training?"

"Sure."

They returned to the training area. It began by refreshing on the basics. Jigglypuff's new lesson was mid-air attacking. She fell the first few times, but kept trying.

When she succeeded, she felt a great sense of accomplishment. She was certain Meta Knight's eyes changed colour once again when she glanced at him. She had no idea what that meant, but she could tell it was a good thing. Jigglypuff beamed at him. Behind the mask, Meta Knight was smiling back.

Somehow, Jigglypuff could tell it was there. It seemed like a sixth sense or something.


	2. Trust

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Smash Brothers, the characters or anything related.

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Chapter Two- Trust

Meta Knight and Jigglypuff returned to the camp a couple hours later. A few of the Smashers were giving them strange looks as they passed by.

"What's up with them?" Jigglypuff asked. Meta Knight shrugged, unsure himself. They soon realized what the Smashers were doing.

They were all in an all-out argument of who should be the leader, now that they were on their own. They needed someone that they could trust and depend on. The argument was soon going to turn into a brawl, judging by their body language and how loud some were shouting. A few were trying to break it up, but it didn't work. Some were getting ready to fight when…

"Stop! Stop this at once!" Jigglypuff shouted, upset that the Smashers were arguing when they may be the allies they have to depend on. Everyone went silent and looked towards her. She gulped, the realization of what she did dawning upon her. She knew that she was on the spotlight, but she spoke up anyway. "I…think Meta Knight should be the leader."

No one objected. They all respected Meta Knight in one way or another. On numerous occasions he had proved himself worthy of leadership unintentionally.

"Everyone says yes, then?" Jigglypuff asked the Smashers. Everyone agreed.

Meta Knight was confused. He soon understood. Jigglypuff had faith in him, just like he did for her learning how to use a sword. He was someone she could trust the most. Meta Knight realized that. He was proud to have a good friend. They have been friends since the beginning of Super Smash Brothers Brawl. They had gotten along well since they first met.

Everyone agreed that they would set off tomorrow. However, Jigglypuff was interrogated about disappearing at lunchtime.

"Where are you going Jigglypuff?" Ike questioned.

"I'm was just…uh, taking a walk," she fibbed.

"You're hiding something, aren't you?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about," she objected, not wanting to say she had been taking sword lessons.

Ike was about to open his mouth to reply, but was stopped when Marth said he had to discuss something with him. As Ike left, he glanced suspiciously over at his shoulder at Jigglypuff before disappearing from sight.

Jigglypuff and Meta Knight stayed at the camp at supper to prevent further suspicions.

Jigglypuff lay awake that night, having troubles sleeping again. By the time the full moon was shining up in the sky, she heard a voice call to her. She recognized the puffball figure as Meta Knight, who was motioning for her to follow him. She was lead to the training ground. Jigglypuff didn't know what was going on so she waited for Meta Knight to speak first.

"Jigglypuff," he said, turning to her. "I need to talk to you about something."

Jigglypuff suddenly felt nervous and tensed up slightly. "What is it?"

"Trusting and believing in someone is important." Meta Knight said, confusing Jigglypuff. He looked into her eyes. "You have shown me you are capable of that. If you had not spoken up, I wouldn't be the leader."

"Did I, um, do something wrong?"

"No. I am proud of you."

Jigglypuff was surprised and somewhat relieved. "Really? T-Thank you." She gazed up at the few stars visible. "What does it mean to be a true leader?"

"In order to be a true leader, you must be able to make decisions and take action whenever need be. You need to be someone who can think fast. Others need to be able to trust you. A leader does what is best for everyone and wouldn't hesitate to do what needs to be done." Upon finishing that sentence, Meta Knight sighed . "I am unsure whether I would be a true leader or not."

"You're more than capable! I think you would be a wonderful leader. I believe in you. I know you can do it."

Meta Knight smiled. "Thank you Jiggly. That means a lot to me."

They sat down together for a while, enjoying each other's company.

When Jigglypuff began to get tired, Meta Knight told her she should get some sleep; she would need the rest. "Good night," she said to him, before leaving for the camp. She fell asleep as soon as she laid down. Jigglypuff awoke before sunrise. No one else was awake yet. The first thing she noticed was the absence of Meta Knight. She found herself peering around the camp, hoping he would be there, but he wasn't. She laid down again, this time, wide awake. Within a few minutes, she saw Meta Knight return to the camp. Before she could say anything, he motioned for her to follow him to the training area.

They both sat down next to each other. As soon as they did, Meta Knight gave Jigglypuff a basket. She saw that it was full of berries. "How did you get those?" Jigglypuff asked him.

"I have my sources," he replied.

"I think we should eat them together," she insisted. Jigglypuff realized for the first time that Meta Knight had to slightly lift his mask and put the food under to eat. _"It must be so awkward,"_ she thought. _"I can't even imagine myself doing that."_

"How did you manage to pick all those berries without staining your gloves?" Jigglypuff asked suddenly, after swallowing another berry.

"I took them off," he said simply. Jigglypuff nearly choked on a berry out of surprise.

"Are you all right?" Meta Knight asked her.

"Y-Yes," she replied.

Knowing otherwise, Meta Knight gently rubbed her back. She relaxed immediately, enjoying the peace of the moment.

Everyone was starting to wake up by the time they returned to the camp. They made it just in time. Kirby gave everyone either berries or apples. Meta Knight and Jigglypuff ate together, not caring whether anyone else saw. Everyone packed up the little possessions they had after breakfast and set out into the forests. It was a peaceful walk at first.

The Smashers stopped in their tracks when they saw shadow bugs and noises from behind the bushes.

Jigglypuff took this as an opportunity to put her training to the test. She focused her energy to summon her sword to her hand. After holding the weapon carefully, she prepared to fight. Her attacks came in fast blurs, obliterating the enemies. She used a mixture of ground and aerial attacks until there was no more enemies. "Victory is my destiny," she said as her sword vanished.

Her performance caught everyone off guard. They stood in place, stunned, until the silence was broken. "We should move on." Meta Knight said. The Smashers continued walking. When everyone else was out of earshot, he said, "That was excellent Jiggly."

Jigglypuff was in a good mood for the rest of the morning.

The Smashers took a break by a clear lake for lunch. Lunch was consisted of fish, tea and watermelons. Kirby, Ness and Yoshi finished lunch first and were growing impatient of waiting for the others to finish.

"I'm bored." Ness complained. "Why does everyone have to take so long?"

Kirby pointed his stubby arm towards the lake excitedly. With both hands, he gestured water flowing on the land. Ness and Yoshi smiled mischievously, understanding what he meant. They jumped in at once, causing a tidal wave that soaked all of the Smashers.

It angered Jigglypuff because she had been talking to Meta Knight at the time. She glared at the ones responsible. Ness, Yoshi and Kirby suddenly looked fearful as she began to chase them.

Meta Knight took this opportunity to find a private place to take off his mask and dry it. Afterwards, he took off his cape to squeeze the water out of it. He caught sight of his reflection and gasped, reminded of why he always kept his mask on. Meta Knight saw a dark blue version of Kirby with white eyes and similar blush marks on his cheeks. He immediately averted his gaze, remembering to breathe.

"Meta Knight, where are you?" Jigglypuff called, sounding desperate.

By instinct, he put his mask and cape back on. His reflection calmed him down. He was the enigmatic Star Warrior again. Jigglypuff found him and stopped to catch her breath.

"Meta Knight, have you seen Kirby, Yoshi and Ness? I can't find them anywhere. I think they have gotten themselves lost!" She said to him.

"I haven't seen them," he replied, worried as well.

"How about we look for them together?" She asked, smiling. Before he could respond, she dragged him through the forest. She was calling for them, but she didn't get a response. Jigglypuff was starting to get scared. As they continued through the forest, the darker it became. "Ness? Yoshi? Kirby? Where are you? Are you here?"

From behind the bushes, she heard screams. She and Meta Knight went to see what was going on. When they pushed the bushes aside, they saw the three, only to see that a laser hit them, turning them into trophies. "Oh no, what happened?" Jigglypuff gasped.

Wario jumped down from a tree, landing before the two and began laughing. He aimed the laser at Jigglypuff and fired.

Jigglypuff let out a scream, closing her eyes shut. She waited to be turned into a trophy. Meta Knight unsheathed Galaxia. The laser reflected off the sword and backfired at Wario and turned him into a trophy instead. Jigglypuff opened her eyes, when she heard the commotion stop. "Thanks Meta Knight!"

Meta Knight nodded. "It was no problem." He looked at her, concerned. "Are you alright?"

"Y-Yes. I'm fine now." Jigglypuff said. She glanced at the trophies of Ness, Yoshi and Kirby. "I feel so bad for being angry at them. If I hadn't chased them into the forest, this wouldn't have happened."

"It's not your fault." Meta Knight said to her. All of a sudden, he felt a large hammer slam into him from behind, sending him directly into a tree. He lost consciousness from the impact.

Jigglypuff nudged him, hoping he would make some sort of response. "Meta Knight, are you okay? Meta Knight?"

Dedede took the opportunity to take the trophies while Jigglypuff was distracted and left before she noticed him.

Jigglypuff carried Meta Knight back to the camp where he could recover. He was much lighter than she had anticipated. The Smashers were concerned when they saw her return.

"What happened to Meta Knight?" Marth asked, concerned for the swordsman, who was still unconscious in Jigglypuff's arms.

Jigglypuff told them the whole story of what happened in the forest. Everyone else agreed to leave him alone while he was resting. They spent their time in the lake.

Jigglypuff stayed by Meta Knight's side. She found herself stroking his arm. She never knew until then of how soft his skin was. Jigglypuff cleared her mind of such thoughts.

Meta Knight awoke a few minutes later. Jigglypuff removed her hand from his arm before he would notice. He groaned as he sat up, upon realizing he had an awful migraine.

"Meta Knight, you're okay!" She almost hugged him out of relief.

"I have a headache," he told her. "Other than that, I am fine. There's no need to worry."

"It must have been Dedede's fault. If that was the case, he hit you with his hammer from behind."

She heard him mutter something along the lines of, "Cowardly, selfish penguin." Meta Knight looked up at the sky. "I assume Ness, Yoshi and Kirby have already been taken away?"

Jigglypuff nodded. "I'm sorry! I couldn't do anything to stop him! If only I was-"

She was cut off by Meta Knight. "Stop blaming yourself. This is not your fault."

Jigglypuff cheered up a little, but not much. The good mood she had been in that morning had gone down the drain.

Meta Knight got everyone's attention. "We will be leaving in ten minutes. Make sure you are ready by then."

The Smashers got out of the lake to dry out in the first five minutes. The Smashers packed up again for departure. They met up at the entrance of the forest. After a quick roll call, they continued further into the forest. They collected food for supper along the way. Without Kirby as the cook, they needed a new replacement. Peach offered. She even brought a pink flowery apron. (This caused a few odd looks, but she took no notice whatsoever.)

During the walk, everyone realized how assuring Kirby, Ness and Yoshi's company was. They would always be adventurous and always try to lighten the mood. Now they were gone. No one knew whether they were going to see them again.

The food the Smashers collected were cherries, meat from hunting and (thanks to Luigi's curiosity) dandelions for salad. (Many complained over this.) They managed to force the food down. They made camp at the end of the forest by night time.

Everyone listened as Meta Knight made an announcement. "If we hope to defeat Subspace, we must have some kind of resistance base. Tomorrow we will set out for the mountains. Be sure to rest up." He wrapped his cape around himself. Tomorrow would be a big day.

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**Author's Notes:** Hopefully, the first two chapters were enjoyable. If I don't update on the weekends, it's because the internet doesn't work properly. I hope you like the story so far! The story gets better from here on out:)

Mind Seeker


	3. Transformation

**Author's Notes:** Just for a warning, this chapter ends on a cliffhanger. The plot really gets started now. Hopefully, this story becomes more enjoyable.

Extra Note- All the chapters are already completed and edited. There is will no risks of writers block and will never have to be put on hold: (Yay!)

I hope you like the chapter!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Smash Brothers, the characters or anything related.

Chapter Three- Transformation

In the next two weeks, the Smashers worked hard to build the resistance base. The Smashers looked up at their accomplishments. They had successfully built the resistance and were proud of themselves. Their base was inside the various caves. No one would suspect a base to be within a mountain. There was enough room for a kitchen, eight bedrooms and a living room. Meta Knight had built a training room where he could continue to teach Jigglypuff with the sword. The Smashers were able to have a real supper that night. They realized how much they took electricity for granted.

Meta Knight told Jigglypuff that she could continue her training that night. He would be waiting for her in the training room at eight in the evening. Meta Knight ate his supper upstairs in his room alone, so he could eat without his mask in the way. When he was finished, he took his dish downstairs and went to the training room.

Jigglypuff ate her supper quickly and headed upstairs. Meta Knight was waiting patiently for her. "You will be learning how to link attacks together," he told her. It was basically attacking many times in a row, except with skill. She succeeded on the first try. She was stunned for a few moments.

"You have grown strong. You have done well so far."

"Thank you." Jigglypuff said, giggling softly.

Meta Knight felt a sudden warm feeling. He quickly shrugged it off. Whatever that feeling was, it was strange and unusual.

"How many skills do I not know yet?" Jigglypuff asked.

Meta Knight smiled. "Some skills you will learn as you live on. You can never learn every technique possible. Everyone was their own unique strength. Always remember that."

That night before bed, he announced to the Smashers that they should improve their fighting skills and create weapons to eliminate Subspace. That would be when the Subspace Resistance would truly be formed.

A Month Later

A huge turret was built in the last four weeks. It stayed within the base, hidden, until it was ready to be activated. Weapons were created and were kept in the storage room. The Smashers fighting skills improved a lot. It was unusually quiet in the morning.

Meta Knight was not the only one to wake up before sunrise. When he went downstairs, he saw Jigglypuff at the table, writing in a notebook. She looked up. "Good morning Meta Knight! Did you sleep well?"

Meta Knight nodded. "Yes." He glanced at the notebook. "What are you doing?"

"I'm strategizing. I had a nightmare last night. There was this huge invasion of Subspace monsters lead by Wolf. It's been bothering me since. I decided to make a plan just in case." Jigglypuff replied. "We'll need the weapons and the skills we learned in training."

She heard the other Smashers wake up an hour later. "I must warn everyone!"

"Are you sure you aren't getting paranoid?" Meta Knight asked.

"Yes, I'm sure," she said before going upstairs. The Smashers listened to her when she was talking to them about her dream at breakfast. Lucas was so frightened, he cowered in a corner. Sonic outright said it was a lie. All the Smashers glared at him. Sonic shut up after.

Meta Knight sighed, thinking paranoia was getting the best of her. When he heard Jigglypuff scream they were under attack at noon, he was surprised.

The Smashers made their way to the base entrance, taking a weapon along as they did so. It was not as scary as Jigglypuff thought. It was just a small army of Koopas and Goombas; not the big, scary invasion she had anticipated.

"You were only having a bad dream." Zelda told her.

"No, it's more than that! It's not just a dream." Jigglypuff insisted. She turned to go back to the base when she was confronted by a monster. Jigglypuff suddenly let out a shriek out of terror. She was in the clutches of a Razor-Fanged Piranha.

Meta Knight's eyes widened. Seeing that only made him angry. Before the monster could seriously harm Jigglypuff, Galaxia pierced through the top of it's mouth. The Piranha screamed before falling to the ground. Jigglypuff was shaking for the next few minutes before she calmed down a little.

As Meta Knight sheathed Galaxia, he noticed his arm had been punctured by the razor teeth of the Piranha. He wrapped his cape around himself before anyone could see, especially Jigglypuff, who was scared enough.

Jigglypuff was only hurt a little, but Meta Knight told her to rest for as long as she needed, though he needed it more. She had medicine, then slept for the rest of the afternoon. She woke up at sunset. She asked Meta Knight about the training. He said he wouldn't be able to tonight, which caused her confusion.

After Jigglypuff finished drinking her medicine, Meta Knight offered to take down her glass for her. By the time he reached the doorway, he felt an agonizing pain in his arm from his injury earlier. He dropped the cup and instinctively gasped.

Jigglypuff sat up immediately. "Meta Knight, what's-" She broke off when she saw his arm and her eyes went wide. "Oh no, you're injured. It must have happened earlier! I'm so sorry! If only I hadn't been so careless…"

"What did I tell you about blaming yourself? I chose this path, you didn't. You don't need to worry. It's only a minor wound, nothing serious." Meta Knight replied, waving his hand in a dismissing manner.

Jigglypuff took off her ribbon and bandaged his arm. "YOU should be the one resting, not me. We need our leader in top shape, alright?" She gave Meta Knight a quick hug before leaving to room to tell everyone what happened.

Meta Knight only felt worse as the day progressed on. He tried to go to sleep, failing miserably each time. He was soon developing a fever and was aching all over. Another wave of pain swept over him, causing to him to fall out of his bed. He soon felt all control over his body being lost. He lashed out, nearly destroying the bedroom by swinging Galaxia violently. He realized what he was doing after a moment and regained control again. The pain was gone, leaving him exhausted. Meta Knight collapsed immediately, all his strength depleted.

He awoke a few hours later on his bed. Jigglypuff may have put him there…or was it all a dream? Had he really lost his mind? He noticed that his right arm was black. The skin there had changed colour, but why? He glanced at the sleeping Jigglypuff. Should he tell her? No, she was already worried. She was still thinking about the nightmare she had the previous night.

The next morning, Jigglypuff noticed Meta Knight was already awake, though earlier than usual. She didn't mention it. They both went to the training room.

"Meta Knight," she said as she was refreshing on the basics. "Are you feeling better?"

"I suppose," Meta Knight replied, while in truth, he felt no better. He felt nauseous all of a sudden. He knew he would soon lose his mind. He now knew that what happened yesterday was no dream. It was for real. If he lost control, he may harm Jigglypuff.

"Class dismissed," he said quickly. Meta Knight ran all the way up to the lookout where Jigglypuff couldn't find him. He became violent once more, destroying the rails and the telescope. His other arm was now black. When he saw the damage he'd done, he was scared. Meta Knight would put the training on hold for Jigglypuff's safety.

In the next four days, Meta Knight lost his mind at least once a day. His whole circular body was completely black. Jigglypuff questioned his darker complexion, but he said, "Don't ask," in reply. Jigglypuff could only lead to the conclusion that he was hiding something.

Later that day, there was a large invasion. Armies of Primids came in swarms. The Smashers fought them off as best as they could. The Primids were soon losing the battle. Just when everyone seemed to think things were going well, Meta Knight's cape changed to red and dark grey. He felt sick again, dropping his sword from the sudden pain.

"Meta Knight, what's happening to you?" Jigglypuff asked, voice shaking.

He looked at her, sadness evident in his eyes. "The injury…had side effects. I'm sorry…I didn't tell you earlier…" His mask and gloves became a dark shade of grey.

The Smashers gasped, attention focusing on him. Meta Knight's eyes turned red, finally becoming in an evil state. He picked up Galaxia as his cape transformed into bat wings. From the shadows, Wolf was grinning smugly. He stepped out of the darkness. Meta Knight uncontrollably kept attacking at Wolf, who took out a tranquilizer. He took aim and fired multiple times, knowing it take more than one shot to take care of the Star Warrior. Meta Knight collapsed, the tranquilizer taking effect. The Battleship Halberd came from the darkened skies and allowed Wolf back aboard, who was dragging Meta Knight along.

The resistance eventually won the battle, but it did not feel like a victory, especially to Jigglypuff. She felt down for a whole hour and needed to be alone. Deep down, she knew Meta Knight wouldn't want her to feel sad. _"Meta Knight, what would you do in this situation?" _She suddenly remembered something important. Meta Knight did tell her about leadership. She thought for another moment. Jigglypuff decided she would take Meta Knight's place as leader.

Jigglypuff went down to the main room and called a meeting. "Everyone, I have something to say." The Smashers looked up at her. "As you all have noticed, Meta Knight is no longer with us. The day I was nearly killed by the Razor-Fanged Piranha, he got himself injured to save me. The injury had side effects which transformed him into what he is now. Due to this predicament, I have decided to take his place." She lifted her head slightly. "I need a plan so we can rescue Meta Knight. With him by our side, we will defeat Subspace. Who will help assist me?"

Everyone agreed. Ike stood up from his seat to make his speech more official. "I shall embed my sword deep into the heart of Subspace and vanquish all those who thrive within it. If I shall need to help rescue Meta Knight to accomplish this endeavour, then so be it."

Jigglypuff looked hopeful, a smile forming onto her face. "So, how do you plan we board the Halberd?"

Ike looked unsure. "I'm still thinking about that."

Jigglypuff did a face-palm. "Well, that was helpful," she muttered, disappointed. She thought that they were actually onto something for a moment.

Fox and Falco came up with a plan, knowing Ike wouldn't be of much more help. "We could build our own ship and jump aboard the Halberd once we locate it. We can then infiltrate without being seen through the ladder accessible from the hatch and rescue Meta Knight."

"I suppose that could work. Thank you." Jigglypuff said, grateful.

"Didn't you mention that Meta Knight transformed due to an injuries' effects?" Zelda asked.

Jigglypuff nodded. "Yes, why?"

"There may be a cure."

Jigglypuff's eyes went wide with hope. "Really?"

"I'll have to find the research and see if there are any web pages regarding the illness. Just be patient until then. Fox, Falco, help me load the internet search engine's web pages."

--

Mind Seeker


	4. Assistance

**Author's Notes:** I am so happy this story is doing so well that I'm posting again this weekend. This may be the only time I do this. Chapter 5 comes next weekend! Enjoy the new chapter!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Smash Brothers, the characters or anything related.

--

Chapter Four- Assistance

Meanwhile on the Halberd…

Meta Knight awoke in a dark room. He sat up, feeling groggy. Having an awful migraine didn't make things better. All he saw was black. When his eyes adjusted to the dim lighting, he felt someone punch him and grunted. He turned to see that a Primid was standing in front of him. Meta Knight was punched again. He gasped in discomfort. The Primid found this fun and kept punching, only faster. He was charging up a strong punch when someone seized his arm.

"What are you doing?" Ganondorf said menacingly.

"He makes funny sounds when you hit him."

"What _have_ you been doing?"

"Sorry, sorry, sorry-"

With a wave of Ganondorf's hand, the Primid fell backwards. "Get back to work." The Primid nodded and left the room, fearful of angering him. Ganondorf looked at Meta Knight. He notices there was a marker nearby and wrote something on the Star Warrior's mask, then gave him a powerful punch. Ganondorf smirked, then left the room.

Meta Knight groaned from the pain, but stood up anyway. He notices something odd about his reflection in the window. He was in his dark form. The only thing that was the same was his eyes. They were still a pupiless yellow. He noticed that there was writing on his mask. He looked closer at the mirror image. He saw the words: _punch at will_ written. He tried rubbing it off, but it didn't work. _"Just great."_

Meta Knight saw a door and tried to reach for the doorknob. He ended up walking into a wall. Sighing, he tried again. The door was locked. Exhausted, Meta Knight sat down in a corner and went to sleep.

He awoke in complete silence. He knew he couldn't have slept for more than an hour. Where was he anyway? He had a feeling he had been here before. He felt a punch and grunted in surprise.

Wolf smugly smiled. "You DO make funny sounds. That was because you weren't paying attention."

"You were talking to me?"

"Are you that deaf?" Wolf said, irritated. "Our leader wants a word with you. I suggest you come quickly. You're already late as it is."

Meta Knight followed Wolf out the door and through the hallway. This place still looked familiar somehow. Then it struck him. "Is this…the Halberd?"

"It took you long enough to figure it out. As you can tell, we have taken over your battleship. It belongs to Subspace Resistance Elimination now."

"You were very foolish to take over my ship."

That comment earned Meta Knight another punch. 'That's enough from you." Wolf dragged him to the elevator. "Just to give you an early warning, never anger our leader or you _will suffer_."

They were at the piloting room when the elevator doors opened. "Lord Ganondorf, I've brought the prisoner as requested."

"Very good." Meta Knight realized that _Ganondorf_ was their leader. Wolf was right about not angering him. Ganondorf spoke up without turning around. "You understand why you're here?"

"No."

"You've experienced it many times before. Do you ever recall feeling uncontrollably violent or have lashed out unintentionally?"

"Yes."

"Each time it happens, you become a step closer to being evil. We seek the power you possess in that state. Once you're fully taken over, you'll be on our side forever. You will the one who will crush that petty resistance."

Meta Knight shook his head/circular body. "I will not serve you. What you are doing is wrong."

"You don't have a choice."

"That doesn't matter. I will never lower myself to your level."

"You can resist all you want, but it will do you no good. I grow weary of explaining. Wolf, take him down to his room and lock the door. We don't want him escaping." Ganondorf ordered. Wolf obeyed, bowing respectfully before leaving.

When Meta Knight was alone in his room, he felt strong hatred and pounded on the door in frustration. He felt so helpless and he _hated_ that. He really wanted to see Jigglypuff again. He finally realized he really cared for her. With her by his side, he was happy.

"Jigglypuff, I'm sorry," he whispered softly, collapsing onto the ground.

--

Fox and Falco finished the Resistance Battleship. The Smashers had packed the weapons and equipment they would need as well as a good supply of food. Everyone found the mission thrilling so far, except for Jigglypuff, who was worried about Meta Knight. She never knew until now how much he meant to her. Secretly, she had feelings for him, but would not admit it.

Jigglypuff watched intently out the window for any sign of the Halberd. She was asked if she was on the lookout for Meta Knight. She denied it saying she was just passing the time. She was starting to daydream when something caught her eye.

"It's the Halberd!" She screamed to everyone. She was in such a hyper state, she pushed Fox out of the pilot's seat (which really freaked him out) and took control of the ship. Jigglypuff flew the ship directly over the Halberd. "Everyone, are you ready? We're going to jump!"

"Jump? Are you kidding me?" A few of the Smashers said.

Jigglypuff already jumped aboard. "Come on!" She called impatiently.

Reluctantly, the others jumped, but it wasn't as bad as they thought. Falco stayed behind to pilot the ship and keep watch over the resistance base. "Notify me through the communicator when you're ready to go back," he told them.

Jigglypuff found a hatch and opened it. Inside was a ladder going down. One by one, everyone went inside. They expected a fight as soon as they came in but it was strangely quiet.

"That was odd. No one's around." Marth said.

"Don't let your guard down." Jigglypuff advised, looking around. "We have three tasks we must accomplish: rescue Meta Knight, find the trophies of Ness, Kirby and Yoshi and find out the villains true intentions. Once that is done, we can-"

A crash was heard from the end of the hallway, cutting Jigglypuff off before she could finish her sentence. "What was that?" She questioned, now nervous. Perhaps something was in store for them.

It was happening again: the feelings of rage and violence was taking him over. Meta Knight swung Galaxia again, this time, demolishing the door to his room. He sensed a disturbance. At the end of the hallway was the resistance. He felt rage upon seeing the rebellion. All Meta Knight wanted to do was destroy them.

"As I was saying, we should move on. There's no reason to-"

"Jigglypuff, defend yourself quickly!!"

Jigglypuff summoned her sword and got into a defensive position. Another sword struck against hers. She was almost hit by the blow. If she hadn't defended, she would have been seriously hurt. She gasped when she saw her attacker. It was Meta Knight. His eyes were a soulless red, glaring at his opponent.

"Everyone!" Jigglypuff called behind her. "Divide yourselves into two groups and go quickly! I'm the only one who can get through to Meta Knight!"

"But Jigglypuff-" the Ice Climbers began.

"GO!" She shouted. Everyone obeyed, feeling awful leaving her behind.

Meta Knight struck at Jigglypuff again. She dodged. She knew she had to stop him, but not hurt him either. The only way she could do that was to disarm him and counter his feelings of rage.

Before she could dodge again, Galaxia was swung down. She swung her sword too to defend herself. Both swords locked. Jigglypuff pushed as hard as she could. She kept this up for a few minutes, sensing that Meta Knight was weakening. She felt weak herself. She broke away, knowing Meta Knight would soon have the upper hand. Jigglypuff stopped to catch her breath. She was never taught how to disarm. She was now having doubts whether she could do this or not.

Jigglypuff screamed as Galaxia nearly slashed her face. She kept swinging her sword, trying to deflect his series of attacks. She was getting quite exhausted, but desperately tried to be strong. If she failed, all would be lost.

She unleashed a Smash Attack at Meta Knight's sword out of a burst of strength, causing him to lose his balance. She swung at Galaxia once more.

The sword when flying from Meta Knight's hand and became stuck in the wall. He glared at her, furious that he was disarmed.

"Meta Knight, it's me, Jigglypuff! Don't you remember?" She asked him shakily.

Meta Knight remained silent, his eyes continuing to glow red.

"I've come to save you! You must fight this. The way of life depends on you!" Jigglypuff persisted. Seeing as he wasn't going to respond, she had an idea. "Do you remember when we had berries? Remember when we worked on the Resistance Base together? Remember how happy we were when we spent time together? If you can hear me, please say something!"

"I…remember." Meta Knight's eyes reverted to yellow. "We…were happy…"

"Meta Knight, you're alright!"

"…Thanks to you," he said.

Jigglypuff was surprised when he hugged her. They were heading down the hallway to find the others when she suddenly collapsed. "I…I am fine. I am just exhausted from earlier. Disarming you…took a lot out of me…" She was further surprised when she noticed that Meta Knight was holding her in his arms. She blushed, realizing she had been gazing into his eyes. She soon wondered what his real eyes looked like without the mask in the way.

"Poyo?" came a familiar voice. (Am I interrupting the moment?")

Meta Knight recognized who this was. "Kirby, is that really you?"

"Poyo, poyo." (Yeah, the other Smashers saved me!) Kirby noticed that Jigglypuff was in his arms. "Poyo…" (Aw, Meta Knight has a crush!)

"K-Kirby." Meta Knight said, blushing behind his mask. "Now's not the time."

"What did he say?" Jigglypuff asked, knowing Meta Knight could translate.

"He was wondering what was for dinner." Meta Knight replied.

"Poyo, poyo!" Kirby told him. (The Smashers want you to meet them above. They want to speak with you.)

Meta Knight followed Kirby, still carrying Jigglypuff, who was snuggled against his mask. He felt that warm feeling again. There was a few "awwws," when they made it. "Jigglypuff is exhausted and unable to walk," he said, before he could be teased further.

They nodded in understanding. They couldn't help but notice how comfortable Jigglypuff was though. She was even smiling in her sleep. Though she would deny it, they knew she had some sort of feelings for Meta Knight. When he was sure no one was looking, he gently rocked her. All he felt at that moment was happiness. Though he wouldn't admit it aloud, he had feelings for Jigglypuff as well.


	5. Sabotage

**Author's Notes: **This is when the story hopefully gets better. Only three more chapters left to update now! I promise that there is fluff in the next chapter! If you like fluff, be sure to read the next chapter. On with the story!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Smash Brothers, the characters or anything related.

Chapter Five- Sabotage

"We have no choice but to stay aboard the Halberd for tonight. If we leave, it will only cause problems." Meta Knight told the group as the sun vanished from the skies. Stars could faintly be seen in the distance that evening.

"Where will we be-a sleeping?" Luigi asked.

"Down below. There is a secret room where no villain can penetrate. To them, the room doesn't exist." Meta Knight said. "We can rest there."

"That's perfect! We'll never be detected!" Sonic said confidently.

"Follow me and don't make a sound." Meta Knight told them, going down the ladder.

Every Smasher slowly descended down into the dark hallway. Sonic was way ahead of them. Sonic was waiting impatiently and was starting to say, "You're too slow!" when he was whacked across the head and told to shut up by none other than Jigglypuff. At the end was a door. It slowly creaked open, allowing everyone to go inside.

The room was spacious, though appearing like a small room from the outside. Inside was a kitchen, sleeping bags, blankets and plenty of cupboards filled with food. The room was dimly lit up by lamps attached to the walls. One side of the room was a large window.

"Wow, this is so cool!" Ness and Lucas said together.

After most of the Smashers fell asleep instantly, Peach giggled. "Did you know that Jigglypuff has been snuggling in your arms for an hour?" She asked Meta Knight.

"She was?"

"You didn't know?"

"Well…" He was at a loss of words.

"It was, you know, cute." She smiled and went to get ready for bed.

--

Meta Knight was the only one awake. He hadn't slept well since his transformation. At best, he only slept for an hour each night. He sat down next to the sleeping Jigglypuff. She looked so…peaceful.

He could faintly see his reflection in the glass. He hated the monstrosity of it. Meta Knight highly doubted a cure existed. He tried to think of something else.

Meta Knight remembered being told how Jigglypuff took charge when he was taken away and how much she missed him. His eyes widened at the thought. Did she have strong feelings for him as he did for her? The new thought made him smile. He never knew until now how happy she could make him feel. When the situation was dark, she could always put a smile on his face. He felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to see who it was.

It was _her_. Whether she had been sleeping or not, he didn't know. Meta Knight visibly relaxed upon seeing the smile on her face.

"You couldn't sleep either?" She asked him.

It was like he fell under a trance. The way the moonlight was shining upon her, the smile on her face…she was so beautiful.

"Uh, Meta Knight?"

"Yes?"

"Are you okay? You were starring into space."

"I'm all right."

Jigglypuff looked concerned for a moment, but it was replaced by a timid smile. "Did you have trouble sleeping?" She asked again.

"Yes."

"You're stressed, aren't you?"

"Yes," he admitted. "I may become evil again and harm you. I would never be able to forgive myself if that happened."

"I promise I will cure you!"

"What if there is no cure?"

"There's got to be!" Jigglypuff said, determined. "There will be a cure! I vow to find and put you out of your misery!" Apparently, she said the right thing because Meta Knight wrapped his arms around her, embracing her into a gentle hug.

"Thank you, Jigglypuff. Thank you," he said, voice soft.

Jigglypuff was a bit surprised. She thought his voice was always somewhat serious. It was rare when he showed his soft side, but it was something she loved about him.

The Smashers slept in the next morning. They awoke to see a shocking, yet adorable sight. Jigglypuff and Meta Knight were leaning against each other, holding hands, but were sound asleep. Kirby tried so hard not to giggle at the two. Numerously, Peach had to be told to be quiet every time she saw Meta Knight and Jigglypuff. Some weren't interested and went straight to the refrigerator for breakfast.

Everyone tried to act normal when they saw Meta Knight and Jigglypuff wake up. Peach and Kirby were put to work at that time by doing kitchen duties. Meta Knight and Jigglypuff acted as though nothing happened.

A meeting was called after breakfast. Everyone took a seat. Meta Knight turned from the window to the Smashers, cape firmly wrapped around himself.

"I would like to thank all of you for assisting me. I also heard that Jigglypuff had taken my place as leader when I was gone." Jigglypuff looked up at the mention of her name. "I'm proud to have her as an ally."

Jigglypuff slightly blushed at the praise. Luckily, no one noticed.

"A task needs to be done today. I believe the villains possess a data disc in their computer. We need to retrieve it and download it into the laptop." Meta Knight said to all the Smashers. "Lucario, Snake and Fox will do this task. Jigglypuff will be in charge of looking through the data."

The task began immediately. Jigglypuff sat by the window, gazing at the view. Everything appeared small, indicating that they were high up in the sky, possibly above the clouds. She was proud to have been given a task. She wanted to do the best she could. Jigglypuff would do whatever needed if it meant she would not let Meta Knight down.

Jigglypuff was given the disc two hours later. Snake, Lucario and Fox said they were late because the security was intense. They were nearly caught a couple of times.

Jigglypuff continued to sit by the window with the laptop. She inserted the data disc. It took a couple minutes to load. A page popped up on the screen saying, "Welcome to the Data Base of Discoveries. What do you wish to do?" Jigglypuff typed in, "View the topics." The loading screen appeared again. The next page displayed a few topics. She scrolled down.

The topics were introducing Subspace, the Great Maze, Tabuu and Monster Illnesses. Jigglypuff clicked on Monster Illnesses. One particular sickness caught her eye: Razor-Fanged Piranha Fever. Jigglypuff clicked on the icon saying, "Display Further Information."

"Side Effects are lack of sleep, transforming into a dark state, uncontrollable violence and increased abilities. To temporary get a victim out of the violent state, you must oppose their feelings of rage. To fully cure the illness, the victim must be-" Jigglypuff read the last part in disbelief. "-kissed by someone they truly love." Was that why she had temporary got Meta Knight out of his violent state? Did that mean she had to kiss him to turn him back to normal? She got the butterflies just thinking about it.

"Poyo." Kirby said, peeking over Jigglypuff's shoulder.

"ROB, could you translate please?" She asked, seeing as Meta Knight was busy developing a plan.

"He said: So there is a way to cure Meta Knight!" ROB translated.

Kirby was now laughing as he read further into the page.

Jigglypuff went scarlet. "It's not funny! I doubt I'll be able to kiss him. How could I when he always wears the mask? This is hopeless!"

"Poyo, poyo."

"Translation: If it makes you feel better, he loves you." ROB said.

"R-Really?" Jigglypuff said, stuttering, hardly believing it.

Kirby nodded.

Jigglypuff decided to try to cure Meta Knight tomorrow. She would need to gather the courage first. How she would do that, she had no idea. She doubted she wouldn't be able to get any sleep tonight. A voice had interrupted her thoughts.

"The plan is working so far. However, it will start getting more complicated. In order for the next part of the plan to take place, someone must transform into a Primid and convince the enemy that our base is currently vacant." Meta Knight explained.

"Isn't it vacant right now?" Link questioned.

"It won't be. I've told Falco to return to the base and activate the turret. When I give him the signal, he will fire it. Afterwards, we will evacuate the Halberd and return to the base."

"In other words, we're leading them into a trap." Snake said. "That is very cunning."

"But you'll be sacrificing the Halberd!" Lucas pointed out.

"I will not choose the Halberd over the fate of life. Some things must be sacrificed." Meta Knight said, voice as serious as it could get, leaving everyone silent. He looked around the room. "Can anyone here transform into a Primid?"

Zelda raised her hand. "I can."

"Thank you Zelda. You may begin."

"I'll do my best." Zelda had read in the laptop of how to transform into an enemy before. It should be easy enough. After succeeding, she made her way down the hallway, up the elevator and to the door to the piloting room.

Ganondorf turned around at the sound of the door opening. "Speak, servant."

The "Primid" bowed, though in false respect. "Lord Ganondorf, I have found out that the Resistance Base is currently abandoned. It is said it is holding a secret weapon. No one should be guarding it at the present."

Ganondorf grinned evilly, convinced. "If we get that weapon, the Resistance will be at our mercy." He turned to the two Primids driving the ship. "Change courses to the Resistance Base."

Zelda inwardly smiled. It worked. She went back to the secret room, closing the door first before transforming back to her real self. She looked up at the other Smashers. "He fell for it."

"Good job. I will inform Falco to be on the lookout for the Halberd. We should be at the base in ten minutes." Meta Knight turned on the communicator and told Falco of what was going on.

During this time, the Smashers made preparations.

"I'll see you then." The communicator turned off.

Meta Knight faced the group. "Everyone, be sure to take a parachute before heading up to the deck. We'll be jumping." He wrapped his cape around himself as he walked to the door.

"B-But I'm-a scared of heights." Luigi said fearfully.

"M-Me too." Lucas agreed, the thought of jumping from high up scaring him beyond belief.

Mario and Ness went to help them, saying it will be over in no time. It wasn't like they had a choice.

He opened it for everyone as they left. One by one, they up to the deck. Meta Knight followed them from behind.

While all the Smashers were getting to jump, Meta Knight was the only one who didn't follow. He was considering going down with the ship. He thought it would be the honorable thing to do.

The turret began to fire. A white, concentrated beam was heading in a straight line for the Halberd. Meta Knight suddenly heard a gasp. He turned to see Kirby, fallen over, foot severely hurt. Meta Knight couldn't let Kirby die. His cape transformed into his wings as he grabbed Kirby. Making sure he was secure, he flew off the Halberd with the other Smashers just as the beam hit it's desired target. The Halberd exploded into millions of pieces. Meta Knight didn't look back. It would scar him to see his battleship in ruins.

Kirby smiled at Meta Knight. "Poyo, poyo!" (Thanks, you saved me.)

"Don't mention it. It was nothing." Meta Knight didn't want Kirby to see how troubled he was.

Kirby jumped out of his mentor's arms and parachuted all the down with the other Smashers. Now that the plan had succeeded, they would have to defeat Subspace. But how would they get there? The trials were not over yet for the Smashers.

--


	6. Adoration

**Author's Note: **Another quick update! (gasps and faints) As I said, there is fluff! Enjoy the chapter!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Smash Brothers, the characters or anything related.

Chapter Six- Adoration

From a distance, the Smashers appeared as black silhouettes against the blazing orange and yellow sky of the sunset. The view was all the more beautiful. The colours showered across the ground far below, making it look like an ocean of fire.

Meta Knight felt someone hold his gloved hand. He knew it was _her_. What confused him was the feeling he got whenever he looked at Jigglypuff now. He could have sworn he felt something like that when he was training Jigglypuff, but wasn't really sure. The feeling that would make him feel a tremendous sense of idyllic was strange, but wonderful at the same time.

"The view is so beautiful, isn't it?" She asked, dazed by the beauty of the sight before her.

"A sunset is never as gorgeous as your smile." Meta Knight instantly shut his mouth after he realized what he said and felt humiliated. He tensed up as his face went slightly red. It was very fortunate he wore a mask.

Jigglypuff forgot to breathe for a moment. Did he say what she just thought he said? She must have imagined it. She let herself be embraced into a hug. He was holding her close to him again. She smiled, though blushing. She longed to tell Meta Knight she loved him. If only she had the courage.

They landed by the entrance, though the other Smashers were already inside. Meta Knight let Jigglypuff go before anyone else saw him showing his soft side.

Just as he was going to the entrance, he was stopped by Jigglypuff. This may be the moment to tell him how she truly felt. "Uh, Meta Knight, can I ask you something?"

"Sure. What is it?"

"Do…you know what romance is?"

"Yes I do." Meta Knight said, somewhat confused at the sudden question. Why was she asking him this?

"I was wondering, do you, uh, well…"

"Poyo!" Kirby called from the entrance. (Come on, everyone's waiting!)

"_Moment ruined._" Jigglypuff thought, disappointed. "_I could have told him. I was so close…_"

They followed Kirby inside.

"Meet me at the lookout at midnight. We'll talk then." Meta Knight whispered to Jigglypuff as they went to the main room.

The Smashers put the laptop back on the desk where it belonged. The weapons were put back in the storage. The new task that was given was to research Subspace using the data disc, then create aerial technology. They would need to go to Subspace eventually. Falco, Olimar and Samus were in charge of locating the trophies of the villains.

That night, the Smashers celebrated their success of their plan. It made them feel good, not to mention help them relax before they would plan on eliminating Subspace. Kirby made special soup for supper.

Jigglypuff couldn't help but notice that Meta Knight was not to be found at the dinner table. When she thought about what happened to the Halberd in order for them to have succeeded, it all made sense to her. The Halberd was important to Meta Knight. He probably needed time to be alone and keep to himself. While everyone was having fun, Meta Knight was upset over the loss of his Battleship. Jigglypuff couldn't help but feel so…selfish and uncaring. She wanted to do something to comfort him, but knew it wouldn't any good. Besides, she had no idea how she would anyway.

She sighed, not able to eat anymore. She glanced towards the clock. It was 9:27PM. Only two hours and thirty-three minutes until she had to go to the lookout. She took her bowl to the counter. Though Kirby was surprised she didn't want seconds, he didn't say anything about it.

She left the room before anyone would notice her change of behaviour. Jigglypuff knew she was sad for Meta Knight, but there was another reason why she was acting strange. It was how she felt whenever she saw Meta Knight now. The feelings she would get would be so warm, but could hardly be described in words. Whenever she tried to figure out why she felt this way, the end result was a headache.

Jigglypuff went to the bedroom she shared with Meta Knight. She sat on her bed gazing out the window. She had nothing better to do until midnight. The two hours of waiting were uneventful and dreary. Jigglypuff couldn't help but wonder what Meta Knight had to say to her. She would find out soon enough.

Jigglypuff slowly walked down the hallway three minutes before midnight. She was nervous the whole way there. She desperately tried to keep herself from trembling. Jigglypuff climbed up the ladder and stood up to check her surroundings. The lookout was no more than a small platform, though high above the ground.

When Jigglypuff turned around, she saw that Meta Knight appeared from seemingly no where. She was startled, heart rate faster than it was before. "Uh, hi Meta Knight…" she said, trying not to show how nervous she was.

"Hello Jigglypuff," he said in response, gazing intently at the full moon. "Do you remember why we are here?"

"Um, so we could discuss something?" Jigglypuff said, unsure.

Meta Knight nodded. "I need to speak to you about something, to you alone. Was there a reason why you asked me if I knew what romance was? Were you, by any chance, hinting at something?"

"Well, um, no." Jigglypuff said, knowing that his gaze was shifted to her.

"Jigglypuff, be honest." Meta Knight told her. "If something is worrying you, you can say so."

Jigglypuff wanted to say the same thing to Meta Knight. "_It's not like you voice your concerns either. I don't even know how you're feeling most of the time!_" she thought. He always seemed to know when she was lying or hiding something. This left her with no other option, but to tell him the truth. "I am worried, but I just don't know how to explain it."

"Explain from the beginning."

"What if it takes a long time?"

"I will not mind. You can take your time."

"Okay then. It all began in March, when we first met. From the moment you entered the Smash Mansion, I…thought so highly of you. I was so happy when we became friends. I secretly looked up to you. When Subspace appeared, I wanted to be more like you. I wanted to learn how to use a sword. Part of the truth was that I wanted to spend more time with you. With you around, I felt content. I didn't realize how much you meant to me until you were taken aboard the Halberd. I remembered what you told me about leadership and took your place until you were rescued." Jigglypuff paused for a moment. "When I temporarily got you out of your evil state after I disarmed you, something strange happened."

"What was it?"

"I had this strange feeling afterwards. It was something I never experienced before. It made me feel happy though." Jigglypuff explained further. "Have you ever felt like that before?"

"Yes." Meta Knight admitted.

Jigglypuff was surprised. "Y-You did too? Does that mean…you…"

"…Yes."

"Y-You did too? Do you really mean that?"

Meta Knight looked into Jigglypuff's eyes, his expression serious behind his mask. "I really mean it."

Jigglypuff now realized what the feeling was. It was obvious all along. The warm, tender feeling was love. That would explain why she felt so happy when she was around him and how she missed him when he had been taken away on the Halberd. She replied by hugging him, which was what he least expected. "I cannot hold this in any longer. I love you Meta Knight!"

"I love you too," he said softly. During the hug, he didn't know that the clasps on his mask were weakening. As soon as they separated, they both heard the sound of metal hit the ground.

Jigglypuff looked up to see a dark blue puffball in front of her, resembling Kirby, only he had white eyes. She soon realized who this was and was speechless.

Meta Knight noticed that he didn't have his mask on. He put a hand to his cheek hoping it wasn't true. His fears had been confirmed that he was maskless. Utterly ashamed and mortified, he quickly turned away before Jigglypuff could say a word. He expected laughter, giggles, or something of the sort, but it never came.

Jigglypuff gently placed a hand on his shoulder. Surprised, he turned around. Jigglypuff gave him a look of understanding and concern. She now understood why he always wore the mask. Meta Knight was viewed a strong warrior by those who knew him. He would be told non-stop about how adorable he was and wouldn't be taken seriously as a strong opponent. "I still love you the same Meta Knight, even if you don't have your mask on." She leaned closer to his face and kissed him on the cheek.

A strange glow surrounded Meta Knight and enveloped him in a light blue light. Jigglypuff had to shield her eyes, it was so bright. It slowly vanished and disappeared. Meta Knight was no longer dark, but was back to his normal self. This meant he would no longer have to worry about becoming permanently evil or accidentally harming one of the Smashers.

"Thank you Jigglypuff," he said, embracing her in a hug. Meta Knight felt so happy. In a burst of courage, he leaned forward until his face was only an inch away from hers.

Before Jigglypuff could open her mouth to respond, she felt Meta Knight kissing her on the lips. Her heart rate went up dramatically, but she felt lighter than air. She returned the kiss as passionately and affectionately as she could. At that moment, their senses had shut down. The only thing they were aware of was the feeling of love and their lips caressing the other's as the kiss became more deep and romantic.

"_I promise that I will protect you as long as I live. I love you…_" Meta Knight thought as they separated. They were both out of breath for a few moments. Romance wasn't as bad as Meta Knight thought. Though it seemed overwhelming at first, in the end, it felt wonderful. He picked up his mask from the ground and put it back on. He felt rather awkward. Meta Knight found it hard to believe that he actually kissed somebody. He never did anything like that before. Wasn't that out-of-character for him?

Jigglypuff smiled at him. Meta Knight felt himself blush behind the mask. They were both tired, deciding it would be a good time to go to sleep. It had been a long day after all. They both held hands all the way to their bedroom, feeling better that they finally confessed their love to each other. At the moment, everything seemed at ease…

--


	7. The Great Maze

**Author's Notes:** Oh. My. Gosh. Three updates in one day? (faints again) That will be all the updates until next Friday. The last chapter will be up by then. This and the next chapter are the longest. Unfortunately, this ends on a MAJOR cliffhanger. I'm so evil. OO

Enjoy the chapter!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Smash Brothers, the characters or anything related.

Chapter Seven- The Great Maze

It had been one week since Meta Knight and Jigglypuff confessed their feelings to each other. The Smashers were gathered at the table, eating breakfast. It was quieter than usual as Falco, Olimar and Samus were tracking the villains trophies.

Jigglypuff was using the laptop, having finished her breakfast early. She inserted the data disc and looked up the available topics again. She clicked on the "About Subspace," icon. An entire page popped up. She read through the information carefully.

"It's finished!" came a voice.

"Thank you. I appreciate your help." Meta Knight said in response.

Jigglypuff looked up from the screen. In the doorway stood Fox and Falco who were appearing excited. "_They must have finished building that Subspace Penetration Aircraft they said they would be working on,_" she thought. "_They have been working all week on it._"

The Smashers suddenly stood up from their chairs and started walking out of the room.

"Hey, where's everybody going?" Jigglypuff asked, starting to panic. There was too much chatter for anyone to hear her. She followed after the others, irritated that she didn't know what was going on.

The Smashers saw a huge ship equipped with lasers and turrets. It was covered in protection armour that made it invulnerable to fire and water. It was shaped a lot like an Arwing in some ways, but it looked cool nevertheless. Fox had insisted that it should be called an Arwing, though it didn't even look like one.

"How do you like it?" Fox asked the Smashers, who were still speechless with awe.

"It's…awesome." Ness and Lucas said in unison.

"Once we fuel it, it will be ready for take off. When did you plan to go to Subspace?" Falco asked.

"We can leave the base tomorrow morning." Meta Knight replied.

"Alright then. We'll begin the packing."

"_We're going to Subspace tomorrow. If we succeed, everything will be saved. I hope we defeat that monstrosity,_" Jigglypuff thought. "_This journey has lasted for two months. It's hard to believe it could be over in a couple of days…_"

Jigglypuff needed time to think so she went to the lookout. She hadn't been there since she and Meta Knight confessed their love in the previous week. She now understood how dangerous destroying Subspace could be. What if they failed? What if they died in the process?

"Is something the matter Jigglypuff?" Meta Knight asked her, suddenly appearing again.

Jigglypuff jumped, startled. "What do you mean by that?"

"You've been acting differently today," he said simply.

"I'm scared Meta Knight." Jigglypuff said, sighing. "It all may be over by tomorrow. If we fail to destroy Subspace, every living thing will perish. We all could die, even… you and I! Everyone else could die…!"

"That won't happen," Meta Knight assured, holding her hand. He tried his best to look calm on the outside. Deep down, he was scared too, but he didn't want Jigglypuff to know. "We will succeed."

"I-If we do, after this is all over, could we have another moment together?" Jigglypuff asked, a smiling forming upon her face.

"Definitely." Meta Knight agreed, pleased that Jigglypuff calmed down a little. Somehow, he had a feeling that they may not have a next moment again. "_I have a feeling I may not survive. If I must sacrifice myself to do what is right or to protect you, I will not hesitate to do so._"

The Next Day

The engines came to life as they were finally fuelled. The Smashers went inside one by one, and sat down. Defensive and offensive technology was activated. Each Smasher took a load of supplies they would be needing, mainly recovery items. Whatever awaited them would show no mercy. They would have to be in their best condition.

Fox and Falco sat down in the drivers seats. Everyone cheered as the newly designed Arwing took flight…that is, except for Meta Knight. He had a nightmare the previous night.

_Meta Knight felt himself begin to lose his mind as the darkness inside him started to take control over his body. If he was fully taken over, he would be evil forever. He handed Galaxia to Kirby in his last attempts to control himself. "Kirby…you…must stab me…with my…sword…"_

Suddenly, the Arwing began to spin in circles, causing the other Smashers to scream. (Some with excitement, some with fright.) Meta Knight's thoughts were interrupted. He soon realized what was the cause of the spinning.

Fox was pressing a button multiple times and turning the steering wheel very fast. Surprisingly, it was still in one piece. Otherwise, the Smashers would be meeting an untimely doom.

"Fox, stop that!" Falco yelled over the screaming.

"What? I didn't catch that." Fox said, confused.

"STOP SPINNING THE ARWING!"

Fox's eyes went wide. He quickly pushed the button and the Arwing was flying like normal again. "…Sorry about that."

"Do that again!" Ike insisted.

"Not on my watch." Falco said, glaring at Fox.

Fox turned around to see that Falco was busy making sure the Smashers were all right. A mischievous grin appeared on Fox's face. He gave the spin button one more push. The Arwing was circling once again, only faster.

"FOX, MAKE IT STOP!" Falco screamed at him, falling over.

"I can't! The button's jammed!" Fox replied frantically, desperately pushing the button some more.

"This is just great," Falco said sarcastically, and a hint of anger was evident in his tone.

The Arwing flew into darkness and crashed upon the stoned ground near a heavily guarded maze. The sky above was purple and black. The Arwing wasn't broken, but it would need some repairs. The villain trophies had disappeared during the fall.

A few Smashers had to take medicine for motion sickness. They had to spend the first few minutes recovering.

"Fox, I thought you said you were a good pilot." Meta Knight said, groaning.

"I am on normal circumstances."

"Apparently, this wasn't what you would consider 'normal,'" Jigglypuff said, feeling very dizzy and slightly sick.

After the Smashers recovered, they stood up and looked around to find out where they were. The sky made it obvious that they were in Subspace. The Great Maze was just ahead.

The door opened as soon as they approached it. They were hesitant at first, but went in. The door slammed shut behind them, then vanished. One Smasher was not among them.

"Has anyone seen Fox?" Falco asked, noticing that he was gone.

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­

Fox was scarred to see the new Arwing in a damaged state. He took out a special toolbox and a wrench from the storage cabinet and began working. He was oblivious to the fact that everyone else was gone.

"No, none of us have seen him." Meta Knight replied. "He may not have come with us."

"Does that mean he's still outside?" Link questioned. "Is he trapped out there?"

Falco looked around. "Apparently so."

"We'll have to move on without him. There is no other choice." Meta Knight said to everyone.

They proceeded through the hallway. Jigglypuff noticed that there was a map on the wall. "Everyone, I found a map."

"Is there THAT many rooms?" Ike said in disbelief. "Does that mean we'll have to divide into pairs and cover more ground at once?"

"I'm afraid so. Though splitting up is not the best option right now, it's the only choice we have at the moment," Meta Knight responded.

After dividing into pairs, they split up in different directions. Meta Knight and Jigglypuff walked down the dim hallway. Jigglypuff creaked the rusty door open a little bit. She and Meta Knight peeked inside. "What is THAT?" She said, eyes widening.

In the room was a white spiral light. It caused the ground in the room to divide in two. An army of Primids were appearing to be practising how to use magic powers. A Primid's hand began to glow blue. A boulder in front of it shattered.

"What in the world are they doing?" Jigglypuff said, shock evident in her eyes. The Primids looked towards them. "Oh no, they spotted us! RUN!" She screamed, dragging Meta Knight down the hallway.

Behind them, the Primids were following in pursuit. Jigglypuff was tiring out. She saw an opening in the ceiling and puffed up to get in. From above, she saw the Primids keep running down the hallway, not noticing she was gone. "We sure fooled them, didn't we Meta Knight?" She looked around when she heard no response. He wasn't there with her. He must have still been down below, trying to escape the Primids.

"How could I be so foolish?" She thought. Jigglypuff jumped back to the ground. No one was in sight. She started trembling as she proceeded down the hallway. "There's nothing to be scared of. It's just a hallway," she said to herself to stay calm. The floor slightly creaked. Jigglypuff gasped.

Ganondorf jumped down from above. He punched Jigglypuff from behind just as she was turning around. She lost consciousness from the pain of the attack.

Elsewhere:

The Primids had fallen down a trap door as they continued to chase Meta Knight. He had realized that Jigglypuff was missing. He couldn't find her anywhere. He spotted Marth and Ike as he turned the corner.

"Have you seen Jigglypuff?" He asked them.

"No, we haven't." Ike replied.

"Did she get lost?" Marth asked, concerned.

Before Meta Knight could respond, they heard a lot of beeps.

"Isn't that…Mr. Game & Watch?" Marth asked.

"There's more than one." Ike pointed out. "They've got to be impostors."

The Game & Watches merged together, slowly becoming one, giant monster called Duon.

Meta Knight, Marth and Ike unsheathed their swords and got into a fighting stance.

Somewhere Else:

Jigglypuff slowly opened her eyes. She sat up from the cold, stone floor. She was in a cell down in the dungeons, which was heavily guarded by Gun and Fire Primids.

She laid down on the bed and sighed. Jigglypuff wanted to see Meta Knight again. When they were together, they were happy. Now she was alone. A tear escaped her eye at the awful thought.

"Why the sad face?" Ganondorf asked with a chuckle, seeming to suddenly appear. "You won't die…at least not yet. You should enjoy your last moments. Maybe I'll let you see _him_ again…"

"Don't you dare harm him, or I'll-"

"Or you'll what?" Ganondorf shot back, amused. "How do you plan to stop me?"

Jigglypuff fell silent, gaze lowering to the ground.

Ganondorf walked away triumphantly. This was only the beginning…

In the Hallway:

Duon was defeated. The shadow bugs within had disappeared and vanished, leaving a Mr. Game & Watch trophy. When the golden stand was touched, he was revived.

Footsteps soon thundered throughout the hallway. The swordsmen unsheathed their swords again, expecting another attack. Perhaps Duon had back up. Maybe reinforcements were being sent down.

They were confronted by Bowser, Wolf, Dedede and Wario, who were obviously the ones storming down the hallway. Before they could get into a fighting stance, a voice stopped them.

"Lower your weapons and hear us out." Wolf ordered.

Meta Knight, Marth and Ike sheathed their swords as they were told, though still doubtful.

"I thought you were trophies. How did you-" Ike began.

"I told you to hear us out and let us explain. That means you don't interrupt and let us explain before you speak." Wolf reminded, irritation visible on his face.

Ike looked down sheepishly towards the ground.

Wolf continued to explain. "When your ship crashed, our trophies happened to land in the Great Maze. We were revived by Tabuu who had been passing by the halls at the time. He gave us another order to exterminate you, not even bothering to ask why we were in the condition we were in. However-"

"However?" Ike questioned suspiciously.

Wolf glared at him. "What did I say about interrupting?"

Ike sighed, embarrassed again. "Please continue."

"We're going to join you to defeat Tabuu." Wolf told them.

"You're going to what?" Ike asked, confused.

"I thought you were our enemies." Meta Knight responded.

"We _were_." Bowser said, annoyance evident on his voice. "Tabuu was only using us from the beginning."

"What?" Marth said in disbelief.

--

_Tabuu turned to face Ganondorf, Wolf, Wario, Bowser and Dedede. "You understand the deal, right? If you help me carry out a simple task, I will grant you a wish as well as spare you from the pain that will be inflicted. Now tell me exactly what you have in mind that you want in return."_

"_I want the most powerful air vehicle there is." Wolf replied._

"_I would want a new castle with lots of servants and luxuries fit for a King." Dedede requested._

"_I want a new and improved palace and so on." Bowser said, a grin forming on his face._

"_I wanna a life supply of garlic!" Wario said immediately._

_Ganondorf smirked. "I think a higher position of authority would do."_

_Tabuu comprehended their statements, well, demands as they should be called. "Good, very good. I think that can be managed. Very well. It's a deal. The first thing I want you to do is activate a Subspace bomb by the Smash Mansion. Before then, I want you to give the Master Hand my regards. You have tomorrow to do this task. Do not fail me…or the consequences will be severe."_

_As the five left, Tabuu smiled to himself. "Pathetic fools…"_

"After he gave us orders when he revived us, we heard him say something like, 'Some are so easy to manipulate.' We suspected the truth at that moment. We haven't seen Ganondorf since the Halberd was destroyed. He must be in league with Tabuu or something. We're assuming he's betrayed us, " Wolf explained.

"And we want revenge!" Dedede said, shouldering his hammer.

"Sure, we are evil, but I think Tabuu is going too far." Bowser stated.

Meta Knight took a moment to think about what they said. "You can come along with us," he decided.

Mr. Game & Watch beeped, then pointed towards the end of the hallway.

"I think we should follow him." Marth suggested.

As they followed him, they all had a feeling that Mr. Game & Watch had been used in some way as well.

With the help of Mr. Game & Watch, the group made it a room with purple skies above. There was a large door in front of them.

"Tabuu should be here." Wolf said.

"We should wait for the others before we enter. We have no idea what will await us." Meta Knight suggested.

The other Smashers had been occupied by defeating shadow clones of themselves. When they were all defeated, they used the map to find the door leading to Tabuu. The Smashers reunited by the door two hours later. The others were confused to see four of their "enemies" among the group. Wolf, Bowser, Dedede and Wario explained how Tabuu manipulated them.

Each Smasher made sure they were ready before they opened the door. The room was empty. No one was to be found. As they continued to walk further in the room, a cage fell from above and landed before them.

Jigglypuff groaned from the impact. Her eyes soon fluttered open. "Meta Knight!" She said happily. As Meta Knight took a step closer, Tabuu appeared between them.

"If you get any closer, she will die." Tabuu said in a threatening tone. He sent out a small shock wave which hit Jigglypuff, causing her to gasp from the pain. The Smashers withdrew their weapons.

"Brave, but foolish." Tabuu said, turning to Jigglypuff. "Your death will be slow and painful. I can grantee that."

Jigglypuff closed her eyes. She was weakened by the shock wave so she couldn't fight back. She didn't even have enough strength to summon her sword. Jigglypuff waited for Tabuu to strike.

"What is this insolence?" Tabuu said menacingly. He was attacked by all the Smashers at once.

While Tabuu was busy, Meta Knight went to Jigglypuff's side. "Are you all right?" He asked her.

"I think so." She lifted herself into Meta Knight's arms. They hugged for a moment.

Tabuu caught sight of them and sent out more shock waves to separate them. Although he was weakened, his attacks were still strong. "Love…I despise it."

"Meta Knight and Jigglypuff are in love?" A few Smashers asked, quite puzzled.

"They won't be for much longer." Tabuu said, preparing to attack again. Someone attacked him first.

Lucario was going to finish him off when a golden glow surrounded Tabuu. When the glow faded, he was turned into a trophy and fell to the ground with a thud. The whole room was left in shocked silence.

From the throne high above everyone, Ganondorf lifted a hand and the ceiling began to crumble. "Finally…I am the new ruler of Subspace. After so long, it has become reality…A reality that will last for eternity."

"You were planning this from the beginning, weren't you?" Wolf said, glaring at the evil lord.

"Yes. Tabuu was weak. With my new powers, I could instantly kill you all." He lowered his hand, a sinister smile forming. "No. I have better use for you than to just eliminate you like that." Ganondorf's fists glowed purple. "If this hits you, you will become my loyal servants forever. There is no escape." He unleashed it, laughing like an evil maniac.

Everyone awaited the blow, but it never came. Their eyes widened in shock, fear or both at what they saw.

Meta Knight had put himself in the line of fire to save them all. The darkness was already trying to take control of his body. The pain was excruciating. Meta Knight felt himself begin to lose his mind as the darkness inside started to take control over him. If he was fully taken over, he would be evil forever. There was only one way to stop that. He handed Galaxia to Kirby in his last attempts to control himself. "Kirby…you…must stab me…with my…sword…"

Kirby's eyes went wide with horror. It was one of the first things he was able to truly understand at his age. He reluctantly took Galaxia in his stubby arm. He closed his eyes and thrust the sword forward as fast as he could.

Meta Knight gasped from the agonizing pain that spread throughout his whole body. The blow was so strong, it went through his mask, almost splitting it in two. He slowly fell to the ground. Everything went black as his eyes began to close…The last thing he could hear was Kirby sobbing.


	8. The Way Life Should Be

**Author's Notes:** I finally updated the next chapter. Thank you to those who reviewed to my story. This is the final (gasp) chapter so hopefully, it is really good. Thanks again to all my reviewers for reviewing. That really means a lot to me.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Smash Brothers, the characters or anything related.

Chapter Eight- The Way Life Should Be

There was sounds of shrieks as the darkness left Meta Knight's body. The shrieks were frightening and haunting as it continued until every bit of darkness dissolved. As soon as it disappeared, it left Meta Knight severely weak and depleted of any of his remaining strength.

Jigglypuff glared at Ganondorf, feeling nothing but pure hatred. She wanted to kill him. She summoned her sword and ran at Ganondorf. To her, everything was blurry as she advanced towards Ganondorf. She jumped into the air above Ganondorf and brought her sword down. Jigglypuff stabbed it through him as hard as she could, hate giving her all the energy needed.

Ganondorf made no sound as his life began to end. He didn't even show any signs of pain. In his last seconds of living, Ganondorf chuckled evilly. "I will be back someday…" Stone encased him after he spoke.

Jigglypuff ran over to Meta Knight's side and collapsed beside him, weakened herself. She dropped her sword as she landed on the ground. "Meta Knight," she said, voice shaking a lot. "C-Can you h-hear me?"

Meta Knight glanced at her wearily, eyes opened halfway. Because of the mask, his eyes appeared a duller shade of amber. "I'm…fine."

"No you aren't! You could die anytime! How can you say you're fine?" Jigglypuff started crying unable to suppress her tears. She felt a gloved hand wipe them from her face.

"Don't…cry. I'll be all right." Meta Knight said, though trying not to cry as well. It made his heart ache to see Jigglypuff so sad. He didn't want to die, but he had saved the others. Tabuu and Ganondorf were defeated. His purpose was fulfilled. His eyes fully closed.

"Meta Knight!" Jigglypuff said, crying again.

"He's only unconscious." Marth reassured her. "He should be taken to a hospital."

The ground began shaking. Subspace was beginning to cave in. Everyone ran as fast as they could to the entrance. Meta Knight and Jigglypuff had to be carried.

Meanwhile, Fox just finished cleaning the last smudge off the windshield. He crossed his arms and looked at the Arwing. It was as good as new.

The Smashers suddenly came into view. They were charging towards the Arwing. As they hastily ran aboard, the door got dented.

Fox gasped and dropped to his knees. "Nooooooooooo!" Falco had to drag him inside. The door slammed shut and the Arwing took flight. The Smashers could see the Subspace slowly disappear. Everyone cheered, except for Jigglypuff and Kirby, who were both depressed. The Arwing flew towards the Smash Mansion.

The Smashers settled back into the Smash Mansion. The Master Hand had been told of what happened. He immediately sent Meta Knight to the hospital on the next floor. Jigglypuff went up as well, worried about him.

In the Hospital Room:

"He's going to be okay, right? Is he going to make a full recovery?" Jigglypuff asked, looking at Meta Knight, who was laying on the clinic examination table.

Dr. Mario was standing beside Meta Knight, listening to Jigglypuff's concerns. He laughed. "I am so, so…proud of my talent. I can tell you right now, he will make a full recovery. In fact, I'm quite sure that he'll make a one hundred and fifty percent recovery! If he, dare I say it, dies, then…well, I'm a monkey!" He put his hand firmly down on Meta Knight.

Unfortunately for Dr. Mario, the heart monitor beeped at that moment, telling everyone in the room that Meta Knight's heart beating was no more.

Dr. Mario heard this, put his hand on the heart monitor and slid it behind his back, out of Jigglypuff's sight. "Anyway," he said, trying to change the subject.

Jigglypuff gasped and charged towards the heart monitor and in the process, pushed Dr. Mario to the other side of the room.

"That's rude you know. Shoving is not polite." Dr. Mario said, dusting himself off.

Jigglypuff now knew the awful truth. Meta Knight was dead. "No…Meta Knight!" She burst into tears for a minute. A murderous glare spread across her face. "DO SOMETHING!" She roared at Dr. Mario.

Dr. Mario was quite scared. "A-Alright Miss." He ran to the other side of the room, grabbed the defibulators, connected them to an electricity source and held them on Meta Knight for a good ten seconds.

Meta Knight gasped from the pain and sat up, very much alive. He was glaring at Dr. Mario and was about to say something, when Jigglypuff hugged him.

"Oh, Meta Knight, you're okay!" She exclaimed.

Meta Knight looked around, confused. "What…where…"

Dr. Mario sighed with relief. He straightened and said in a very proud tone, "Another day has passed and another life is saved. This is a typical day in the life of the Great Dr. Mario." He crossed his arms and looked out the window. The only problem was he still held the defibulators and they were still on.

Dr. Mario screamed and threw the defibulators across the room. He looked at his badly burnt arms. "I'll be right back after I treat these awful burns." He left the room. He came back a few minutes later and saw that Meta Knight and Jigglypuff were talking. _"Maybe I should leave these two alone for a bit,"_ he thought. He turned around and left.

Approximately two hours later, Dr. Mario walked back in the room. He took out a roll of bandages. "I'll be bandaging that wound. Don't mind me."

Jigglypuff snatched the bandages away. "I think I can handle that," she said, glaring. She didn't trust Dr. Mario to do it. He would probably do it completely wrong, just like the defibulators. (They weren't supposed to be in contact with the victim for ten seconds at a time.)

"I guess I'll just leave, then." Dr. Mario said, sounding disappointed. Jigglypuff didn't really care.

As soon as he left, Jigglypuff took off Meta Knight's mask. She bandaged the wound carefully, trying not to look where he had been stabbed. She felt so sorry for him. Due to his injury, it would be very likely he wouldn't be able to walk for a long time. Dr. Mario had the solution to that problem and it actually might work…

--

Jigglypuff lifted Meta Knight on the wheelchair. As she predicted, he wouldn't be able to walk for at least a couple weeks. Wherever Meta Knight wanted to go, she would push the wheelchair for him. She had vowed to do that as soon as Dr. Mario recommended it. She and Meta Knight were presently going to the elevator to the main floor.

"Where are we going?" Meta Knight asked Jigglypuff.

"You'll see," she said, smiling.

As soon as they exited the elevator, everyone (meaning the Smashers) began clapping. The whole room was decorated in balloons and streamers.

Meta Knight was thoroughly confused. "What is this all about?"

Jigglypuff smiled at him. "This is a party honouring you. We wanted to let you realize how important you are to us!"

Meta Knight blushed from the praise. His eyes turned purple (embarrassment) for a moment. He wasn't used to being in the spotlight and he found it almost overwhelming at first.

As soon as the clapping stopped, the Master Hand appeared. "Thank you all for coming. As you can see, peace has finally been restored. If it wasn't for Meta Knight, we wouldn't be here right now."

Meta Knight's face was scarlet behind the mask.

"If he hadn't have been the leader, Subspace would have surely taken over," the Master Hand continued.

"I wouldn't have been the leader if Jigglypuff hadn't suggested it in the first place." Meta Knight admitted.

"Yes. I heard Jigglypuff had done well beyond expectations during the journey. She is to be congratulated as well," the Master Hand said.

A happy smile spread across Jigglypuff's face. "I wouldn't have been strong enough if it wasn't for Meta Knight. He taught me how to believe in myself, leadership and how to use a sword."

"He taught you how to use a sword?" the Master Hand said quietly.

"Of course! I took lessons during the journey."

"So that's why you two kept disappearing!" Ike said, everything making sense to him at last. "I thought you were up to something!"

Jigglypuff glanced at him, smirking. "Perhaps we should spar sometime. Oh, don't worry! I'll go _easy_ on you!"

Ike chuckled, slightly intimidated by the tone of her voice. "Maybe…"

Meanwhile, Dedede pushed past several Smashers until he got to Meta Knight. "Get better soon Meta Knight! I want to beat you up but I can't if you're in a wheelchair! Get better quickly so I can give you a beating!"

"Dedede!" the other Smashers hollered.

"Sorry, I'm just going through an emotional time right now."

Meta Knight's eyes turned pink from amusement.

--

The next month, on Christmas Eve, the Master Hand had announced that there would be a party to celebrate the event. That evening, a feast was being offered as a special supper. By the time the meal ended, it was followed up by games. Jigglypuff had told Meta Knight that he should participate too.

He thought about it for a moment. Jigglypuff was right. Subspace was defeated. He could at least enjoy himself. Meta Knight's eyes glowed blue for a few seconds. In response, Jigglypuff smiled. They both held hands all the way to the game room. The freedom and happiness was worth the trials they went through.

A While Later:

Meta Knight had to admit, the party wasn't so bad. He and Jigglypuff played a few games and they were having a wonderful time together. Little did they know, the party was going to get even more crazy. At the present moment, he and Jigglypuff were sitting in a circle with the other Smashers playing Truth or Dare. Luckily for Meta Knight, no one dared him to take his mask off so far. He hoped that would last.

Watching the other Smashers doing what the other dared them to do was funny and amusing. When it came to Truth, a few actually said their secrets.

When it was Dedede's turn, events took a drastic turn. Instead of asking one Smasher to choose truth or dare, he selected everyone. They had to agree on dare.

Dedede had came up with a great idea. "That's have a karaoke contest! Whoever does the worst gets smashed by my hammer!"

The Smashers lined up for the dining hall where it would take place. Dedede had developed a height regulation for the entry. If you were too short, you could not attend. Kirby was turned down immediately.

When Meta Knight and Jigglypuff went there, Dedede said they were too short, but Meta Knight had an idea. He went on tiptoes to increase his height. Dedede scowled and let him pass.

Jigglypuff decided to puff up. When she was allowed to pass, she was still inflating. Dedede had screamed at her to stop, but she didn't until she took up the space of the hallway. Poor Dedede was squished against the wall. She took the nearest microphone and sang. The only problem was that her singing put others to sleep. She deflated, disappointed.

A mischievous grin spread across her face as she spotted a bucket of markers nearby. Needless to say, the whole room was filled with laughter when everyone awakened and the next few minutes were spent by the Smashers cleaning their faces.

The next Smasher that was asked to sing on the stage was Meta Knight. Though extremely nervous, he went up. Everyone was trying not to laugh. Some chuckled. Taking the microphone in his hand, he started to sing. He was actually talented. The Smashers who were close to laughing, stopped, and listened. Jigglypuff's jaw dropped out of shock.

When he finished, everyone applauded. Meta Knight felt proud, but embarrassed at the same time.

"How could you sing _better than me_?" Jigglypuff asked him. In response, Meta Knight's eyes flashed pink.

Then it was Dedede's turn to sing. Well, it should be called bellowing because that's exactly what he did. The music couldn't even be heard. The other Smashers who sang were certainly amusing. Ness sung 'Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star,' while Lucas sang the alphabet.

When the contest was over, Dedede turned to Meta Knight. "Who do ya say did the worst?"

"Give me your hammer and I will let you know." Meta Knight said in response. Dedede reluctantly gave it to the masked Star Warrior. Afterwards, Meta Knight whacked Dedede over the head with the hammer, then gave it back. Dedede soon understood that _he_ was the worst. _"I hate that puffball," _he thought. _"I really hate him."_

As Meta Knight went to find Jigglypuff, he actually found himself laughing. Jigglypuff laughed like a maniac when she heard what happened to Dedede.

She pulled him in a hug. "I wish I could have seen that! Since when does Dedede get hit in the head with his own hammer?"

Meta Knight chuckled. "Good point."

Jigglypuff sighed peacefully. "I love you…"

"I love you too," Meta Knight replied.

This was certainly the best night of his life.

After the Party

Jigglypuff and Meta Knight were going upstairs to the bedroom. Both were exhausted from the party, but felt content. Jigglypuff was about to grab the doorknob, but abruptly stopped.

"Jigglypuff, what's wrong?" Meta Knight asked.

Jigglypuff pointed to the ceiling. "We're under mistletoe. It is tradition when two stand under mistletoe, they have to kiss."

Meta Knight looked around. He put a hand to his mask to take it off. "Let's make this quick."

Ike was walking down the hallway with Marth to their bedroom. He was about to turn the corner when he abruptly stopped.

Marth, who had been following closely behind, bumped into him. "What was that for?"

Ike pointed towards the hallway. The scene was shocking to him. He did not expect to see Meta Knight and Jigglypuff under mistletoe. However, he felt this was an opportunity to use his new video camera. He began filming. Luckily, Ike was hidden in the shadows so he couldn't be detected. His only mistake was when he said, "Good thing I'm getting this on tape," as soon as Meta Knight was taking his mask off.

Both Jigglypuff and Meta Knight turned around, glaring.

Ike went pale. It was time to run. He fled as fast as he could. The camera had not been turned off and was still recording.

Marth had stuck his foot out as Ike ran by. "_Justice_," he thought when he saw Ike fall down.

The camera fell from his grasp onto the floor. It spun in circles until it stopped. It was faced towards the scene, recording still.

Ike desperately tried to stand up, but Meta Knight stepped on his cape. Ike fell back down again, feeling extremely scared. He gulped as Meta Knight and Jigglypuff stood before him with glares on their faces. His eyes widened in fear. The next thing he knew, he was being dragged down the hallway.

"I don't want to die!" Ike screamed.

Marth walked over to the video camera and picked it up, both eyebrows raised in amusement. He turned the camera off and walked away with it. As one particular crossed his mind, a mischievous grin flashed across his face.

--

Mind Seeker


End file.
